


Can I have this dance?

by DUALISM



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Crushes, M/M, Medium Burn, Misunderstandings, Seemingly unrequited love, Soft Alastor, Trans Male Angel Dust, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-23 05:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30050844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DUALISM/pseuds/DUALISM
Summary: Alastor comes to terms with having feelings for Angel - and then some.
Relationships: Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	1. Let's dance!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically entirely focused on Alastor's point of view, but in the next one we will get to see things from Angel's perspective as well! Stay tuned!

Angel Dust was rather loud, pretty obnoxious and definitely foul mouthed. He was also entertaining, and, _hell_ if Alastor wasn't a big time appreciator of entertainment, and he was not afraid to be himself. The latter mattered a lot.

In Hell, a world of fake names and facades, it was hard to find such a creature. Sure, he was Angel freaking Dust, a sought after porn actor and all around known figure in the society that Hell had nurtured.

But, behind the indecent behavior and obscene jokes, he was... strangely pleasant to be around.

Now, Alastor didn't like being wrong. He was a firm believer in the accuracy of first impressions, but having observed the spider's behavior during the time he had spent as the hotel's patron, he might have had to scratch that theory off entirely.

Sure, at first he was adamant that, aside from Vaggie, who obviously hated his guts and understandably didn't trust him one bit, Angel would be the second hardest to get along with, his over-the-top personality and over-all behavior had earned him a hard no from Alastor.

But... He had come to learn that the spider was much more than that. Late night talks with an Angel who was in the latter part of the process of sobering up had introduced Alastor to the fact that he and the spider actually shared quite of things in common, which was logically not that big of a suprise considering their lives had practically overlapped. Angel was very apparently the one of the two, much more educated in the matter of modern technology but he could very much appreciate the "good olden days" and everything that came with them.

So it was no suprise when he had, surprisingly sober, invited Alastor to dance. They were in the Hotel lobby, it was approximately 4 AM, and they were very alone.

Now, Alastor had become aware of the.... positive feelings he had acquired for the fella, yet that had by no means meant that he was going to let any of that show. Angel was looking a bit tired, his hair was all messy and he smelled of cigarettes, and strangely, and pleasantly, lavender. It was obviously a product of a long day of work at the studio. Alastor didn't care for the profession, but he did appreciate the dilligence Angel put into his work, not that he had much of a choice not to, Alastor assumed, but regardless it was worthy of some sort of praise from the deer demon, a praise that would comfortably remain inside the walls of Alastors mind.

All that said, Alastor was about to say no but, there were a couple of factors that led to him saying damn with it and taking the pink gloved hand that was offered to him. Firstly, most days at the Hotel were admittedly very slow and very boring, and today, and the day before were no different, so he was understandly rather bored and secondly, there was something about the spider, there was something.

Alastor, the big bad radio demon, had acquired a fancy, he had developed a _crush_. If someone had told him he would be standing here, in a dimly lit lobby of a sad excuse for a hotel with an actual crush for none other than Angel Dust he would have performed a lobotomy on them himself. But here he was.

"Uhh...Al? Ya okay there?"

The spider asked, visibly confused at the twenty second moment of silence.

"Why yes Angel. I would like to dance with you!"

He said, his smile drawn a bit more widely. It was just a dance, and besides, it's not like anyone could see them. Was he ashamed of Angel Dust? No, that wasn't the case. He was more ashamed, more _afraid_ of actually possessing feelings, of the romantic kind for that.

Sure, he was, what they called asexual these days, but he, he could still feel things, in this heart of his he forgot he had.

And the things he felt were akin to a schoolboy crush. How Angel smiled, his one golden tooth almost glittering in whatever type of lighting he stood in, how long his eyelashes were and how elegant his movements could be, without even trying. No! Wait! He didn't have romantic feelings! What was he thinking! Well whatever thought he was thinking were turned to mush with a delicate twirl, Angel spun him around slightly, keeping a respectful distance between the two of them. After being told the first couple of times Angel had understood the importance of keeping a distance between himself and the radio demon, unless the latter wished otherwise and had stated it beforehand. And hell- no, heaven, Angel was good at this whole dance thing, as elegant as he always was. They danced like that for about an hour, turning the rather depressing looking lobby, even by Hell standards, into a personal pódium. Alastor, averse to touch ah he was, still liked the feather touches of Angel's hand, _well_ , hands from time to time, depending on the dance, on his shoulders, It was comforting, it was gentle, it was something he didn't know he needed.

And that was why he actually decided to cut the dance session short, even though he knew far to well he could dance like this forever, the moment was theirs for that hour of time, but all good things must end. Alastor didn't like these feelings or whatever they were. He kind of abruptly let go of Angel and the music playing was replaced by radio static.

"My good fella, I'll take my leave now."

Alastor said, leaving Angel standing alone under those same dim lights, that somehow seemed even dimmer now, wondering what he did wrong.


	2. Pretend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Angel's thoughts.

Angel was pacing around his room, it was last night that he had a wonderful time with Alastor, they danced and laughed and he thought everything was going great but then Alastor cut the experience short, his somewhat unreadable face held a tint of disdain. He then disappeared and Angel was left alone in the lobby sad, hurt and very confused.

Maybe the physical constant was too much for the radio demon. _Damn it Angel_ , the spider thought to himself. _There I go ruinin' every good thing given to me_. The time he would spend with Alastor, be it business around the hotel, or giving an extra four arms to help while making jambalaya or even just sitting at the bar and talking, hell even doing the boring paperwork Charlie insisted was necessary. All of it was fun and special and it was time spent with Alastor so it _had_ to be special. He would be devastated if it turned out that he ruined a wonderful... Friendship? Relationship? Well, _something_ indeed, before that something even started. It was too early to call it a relationship, Angel mentally reminded himself, chances were incredibly slim that the other felt romantically inclined towards Angel, but it was a nice friendship, he hoped that's what it was at least, and the spider was afraid he had cut it short before it even got to bloom.

Maybe... Maybe he could just apologize to Alastor for whatever he did wrong. The big scary radio demon, who wasn't as scary as the one from Vaggie's or anyone else's stories, was a rational man and Angel hoped that meant he would take Angel's apology for whatever the spider demon did.

It was early in the afternoon and Alastor was probably cooking something up. He insisted on a lot of occasions that he be the one to cook around the Hotel. Boredom, sheer absolute boredom, was what he cited as the reason. Noone really complained since he was probably the best cook among the small group. Angel was a pretty good cook himself but he rarely felt inclined to take the chore upon himself.

However, he was always up to help around, especially if it was Alastor. So that's just what he did, he strolled down the stairs, past the bar and into a small hallway that went to the kitchen area. And just as expected, the deer was right there, cooking something up, the kitchen was rather clean so far, and heaven it could get dirty, cannibalism and all that. So, he had probably started only recently.

Alastor, on the other hand, had noticed Angel before he even got down the stairs. And well, he still didn't know what to say. Could he just pretend nothing happened? Would that work? He settled for yes so far and hoped for the best.

"So uhhh... Hey Smiles, whatcha cooking there?" Angel asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could.

"We have plenty of jambalaya from yesterday, so I decided to make some dessert!" The radio demon replied, his voice not giving anything away, it there was anything to be given away at all. "I'm making some beignets!" He continued. It was rare but not entirely unusual of Alastor to be making sweets. He didn't have much of a sweet tooth but Angel certainly did, and he knew that. Alastor had made beignets once before and the spider absolutely loved them. The fire burning in Angel's chest continued to burn but he was certainly relieved to see Alastor in good spirits. He hoped that the occurrence meant whatever Angel did didn't hurt him. 

"Do ya need an extra hand? Or a couple?" Angel asked, trying to crack a joke 

"I'm handling it well by myself!" He replied, still not turning around to look at the other demon. His hands busied with working on the dough. 

_Oh._ It wasn't like Alastor to decline Angel's help in the kitchen. Maybe he really was angry. Angel wanted to disappear from the face of, well Hell. He left the kitchen wordlessly and Alastor continued working on the dessert, not doing much to acknowledge the sudden lack of the other's presence. The quiet instrumental music continued playing with static interruptions here and there. 


	3. Game night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel prepares himself for awkward moments of varying intensity.

The beignets were done. Sitting on the kitchen counter meticulously arranged on a big red plate. 

_It's better this way_. Alastor thought. He and Angel had gotten too close anyway. Hell, he did care for him. Romantic or not, the feelings he had for the spider were positive and genuine. He didn't want to disappoint himself, or Angel for that matter. He was pretty sure Angel liked him, to some degree, but Angel flirted like that with almost anyone. He would throw around naughty jokes and innuendos, his profession was definitely a factor. It was just the way he liked to live life, Alastor supposed. Even if Angel did like him, Alastor wasn't sure what was the right way to reciprocate. Not that he was sure he wanted to in the first place. As he had earlier decided, it was maybe better if they just pretended nothing happened. The dance, the shared moments, good old times - just like those, these were better off left in the past. It was for the best if the two of them just drifted apart.

Alastor wasn't soft hearted, to be fair, he wasn't sure he had a heart in the first place. Yet, he did feel a tiny teeny tinge of regret when his shadows caught the sad look in Angel's eyes when the radio demon rejected his offer to help.

It's better this way. He assured himself and continued with his day.

  
Charlie would, from time to time organize game nights and such events. Mostly consisting of playing card and board games. The others in the hotel however, weren't as thrilled about them as she was.   
Vaggie tried to be supportive, and she was, but these game nights would often result in chaos and arguments, they brought more bad than good to the table, she decided. Husk really didn't like any type of game that wasn't a way for him to get a cash grab. Niffty hated the mess that came as a result of these evenings. Angel, depending on the mood would either lose on purpose or try to win out of spite. Him and Husk often gotten into arguments, Angel's relentless teasing would get him a chair thrown in his general direction. Vaggie would also get in on the "throw a chair at Angel" game, much to Charlie's dismay. Alastor thought the games were boring at first, but as soon as the chaos started breaking out he had started enjoying them immensely, even stirring the pot from time to time in order to make them even more chaotic than they already were.

Tonight however, was very different. The usually loud lobby was quiet, the atmosphere stuck somewhere inbetween a retirement home and the graveyard. Everyone was keeping their eyes on their own cards, actually playing but not truly invested. It had been the result of both Angel and Alastor being uncharacteristically quiet. Angel wasn't pestering Husk or Vaggie. Alastor wasn't encouraging it either. Charlie was enjoying this, positive that she had finally gotten the crew to get along for once. Angel kept his eyes on his cards, or rather, he was simply looking down. Alastor would steal a glance or two, both at everyone at the table and especially at Angel. Angel had noticed after the first several times. He knew when he was unwanted, If Alastor didn't want him in his vicinity, that was fine. It still hurt, but he could fake it and make it, or whatever.

  
"I'm too tired for this dumb game." He said throwing his cards in the air dramatically. "I gotta get my beauty sleep, gotta keep the moneymaker perfect at all times. Not that ya sorry asses could relate!" Angel finished with a smile and stood up from his seat at the table.

Even if he was feeling very down, it didn't mean he had to show it, working in the porn industry for more than half a century helped him perfect the craft of a fake smile. Charlie protested a bit but it was clear the game wasn't fun to anyone, even the princess had gotten bored, however after the spider left they all continued with the game for a few minutes until Alastor also conviniently had to go too, and after that the game was kind of done for.

Why was he stealing all those glances at me? Was it to show _disdain_? _disguist_? Angel's thoughts plagued. 

He was just a whore, a successful one, but still a whore nonetheless. Of course Alastor would be disgusted. Angel was more angry at himself though, for letting his feelings get the better of him, for letting those same feelings convince him that the radio demon actually liked his company, that he liked _him_. This was just the obvious outcome, and he was stupid enough to make the wrong calculations. The only thing left to do was prepare himself for a series of awkward moments that would bring him both pain and shame.

He wondered if Alastor was feeling similar. He concluded that wasn't the case and tried his best to go to sleep, hugging Nuggets and holding back tears. He would also have to prepare himself for a few sleepless nights.

So much for the beauty sleep.


	4. A visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone just wants to get things in order.

Charlotte Magne was cheerful and kind, to the point that her kindness made her seem meek, even though she very much was not, she was endlessly optimistic. What she was not was dumb. 

Even though, truth be told it didn't take a genius to see that something was off. She had noticed Alastor and Angel had been getting along pretty well. In fact them getting along made everyone else get along at least a bit better. When the rambunctious spider and the menacing radio demon were getting along, it made everything else seem a little less off the rails. Though they both still annoyed both Husk and Vaggie to no end. But that was always a given. Still, this newly formed friendship made Charlie think that she was doing something right. Something _was_ working. Having that said, it came as a shock when the two started avoiding each other. First it seemed coincidental, but when Angel came back from his work shift and went straight upstairs to avoid the red haired demon sitting at the bar it cemented Charlie's suspicion that something really was off. Angel would never miss out on drinking after work. But there he went, upstairs without a word, not even a nod. Nothing. Sure, it could have been a bad day at work, but that wasn't at all like Angel. Too much suspicious behaviour was going on and Charlie was adamant on getting to the bottom of it. Now all that was left was for her to figure out the best way to do it.

Angel was looking forward to some booze after coming back from work following a particularly tiring shoot. He was looking forward to it until he saw Alastor, conveniently sitting at the bar. It wasn't an unusual occurrence. But he really couldn't deal with the explosion of emotions an interaction with the deer would inspire. Without wasting a second of awkwardness longer, after their gazes briefly met, Angel took the stairs, figuring waiting for the elevator would cost him a few more seconds of standing in the vicinity of the radio demon and his gaze. When he got to his room he took Nuggets into his arms, craddling the piglet like a baby, it was a fun and calming activity for the both. He then headed for to his bathroom, intent on setting up a nice warm bath, with rose petals and scented oils, all that fancy stuff. He felt like he didn't deserve a treat, yet he still wanted to feel a bit better. Everything had been a mess lately, between work, the hotel and the whole debacle, or lack-there-of with a certain radio host, a nice warm bath would be wonderful. His day at work was frankly awful, Valentino wasn't pleased with a scene so Angel was forced to reshoot it, then he his lunch break was cut short with Valentino barging into his dressing room to inform him that an important client had rescheduled and wanted to see him that very instant. All in all, it was a bad day. A bath couldn't fix it, but it could ease the pain creeping up closer and closer around Angel's heart, like a python capturing his prey. These last few weeks had been excruciating. He wondered if him and Al would ever have a normal conversation again, like the conversations they had before. And by normal he meant, not incredibly awkward, cold and consisting of three words on a good day.

He finished preparing his bath, refraining putting the red petals across the pink foam. It reminded him of certaing things way too much. With a long thin leg he entered the porcelain bath tub and sat down. 

He leaned back a bit and sunk his whole body into the tub, his head and knees being the only body parts not submerged in the foamy water. The scented oils smelled like lavender, he usually preferred strawberry but the thought of anything red kind of made him sad, understandably so.

While Angel was taking his bath, Alastor had disappeared from the bar, leaving Husk alone which the cat was very happy with.

Well, this couldn't go on any longer. Alastor thought it could be easy to ignore the situation, it would've been, if it wasn't Angel, maybe if it was someone else, someone he didn't care for. But he did, he did care for Angel. That had made the whole ordeal much harder, for both of them evidently. As good as Angel was at putting up a facade, Alastor could see right through it, he wasn't buying into the nonchalant attitude Angel tried to sell to everyone else around the Hotel. They had to talk about this. 

It was at that moment that Alastor had noticed the sound of footsteps belonging to the hotel owner herself, miss Charlie Magne. He turned around which spooked her a bit from across the hallway. 

"Hey umm. Hey Al. I was wondering if you would like to... talk to me about something, if you want to of course. No pressure!" She said, with a characteristic nervous smile she often wore around him. 

"Go ahead my dear!" He replied, with his own characteristic toothy grin. 

"Well, I have... noticed that you've been... umm... avoiding Angel." She started. "Did something happen? Between you two - I mean, is everything alright?" She nervously finished, fidgeting with her hands. 

"My dear, that is absolutely none of your business!" The radio host exclaimed which made the demon princess even more nervous. "But everything _is_ alright! No need to worry your little head about it!" He added, Charlie nodded with another nervous smile. Before she even had time to reply, Alastor had disappeared. 

Angel had finished his shower, dryed off and put on his pijamas, which had consisted of a pale pink crop top and a pair of white shorts with intricate lace that dropped from the hem, reaching a few inches above white stockings. 

He was expecting to cuddle his pet pig and have a night of below average quality sleep. What he was not expecting was a knock at the door of his room. With a groan he let go of Nuggets in order to open the door and shoo the unwanted guest away. 

"Ugh! How many times do I hafta tell ya Charlie!? Don't bother me at -"

He was cut off when he realized who his unwanted visitor actually was. There he stood at his door, a few moments past midnight.

The radio demon in the flesh. 


	5. A knack for ruining things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk. Will it fix things?

"My dear fella, may I have a word with you?" Alastor asked, already making his way past the door and past Angel, who was still standing by the door, absolutely confused.

"Yeah." He managed to reply with his mouth still open in shock. "Yeah." He added again closing the door.

Alastor made sure to greet Nuggets, petting the little creature on the head with the cane part of his microphone. 

Still thoroughly confused, Angel just motioned for the deer to sit on the maroon armchair in the corner of the room and the radio host reluctantly did so and Angel sat facing him, on the pink cushioned chair of his vanity. 

There was a moment of silence before Alastor decided to break the silence.

"I'd like to apologize, for distancing myself from you. And I have to notice you've been doing the same thing." He said. 

Angel had to take a moment to process that the radio demon himself was apologizing to him. 

Wait. So does this mean he doesn't hate me? Angel wondered for a moment before turning his attention to Alastor who had continued talking. 

"I don't think it's efficient to continue ignoring each other." 

"... I agree." Angel spoke, looking at Alastor this time, instead at the floor, or to the left of him, or at the ceiling or the door. Or wherever, to subconsciously ignore Alastor.   
He was done ignoring the issue just like Alastor obviously was. 

" Do you hate me? " Angel asked abruptly and for a moment he regretted the question. His tongue was sometimes faster than his brain and he hated himself for it quite often. It was a bother at best and trouble at worst. 

"No." I don't think I could even if I tried. 

"... That's good. I-I don't hate ya either." 

"Our dance session from a month ago, I believe it was-" Alastor said, catching Angel's intense gaze. "... I liked it." 

"Ya... Ya did?" Angel asked with a bit of disbelief. He really did think he wronged Alastor somehow during their dance. It was after that the hostility, well the drifting, started, did it not? This made the spider even more confused. Almost angry. Alastor couldn't play games with him like this. He couldn't. 

"Then why did ya start ignorin' me then?! Answer me that?!" There was a growing anger in the spider's voice. "Ya know that I-" He felt tears about to spill from his eyes. "That I like ya Alastor!" 

He likes me? Alastor was taken aback. Angel liked him. Angel really liked him. He didn't know what to do. Did he ruin this? Angel was crying. He made him cry. 

"I know that ya play games and all that - I just didn't want to believe ya would fuck me in tha head - treat me like some stupid game too" Angel managed before he started crying even more. 

"Angel-" 

"Shut up! Just leave!" 

"Angel I-" _Just say it already. Tell him you like him too._

"Leave!" Angel looked up from where his head was resting between his hands. He half-assedly threw a heart shaped pillow towards Alastor. "Leave! Leave! Leave Alastor!" The spider cried. His face stuck somewhere between miserable and angry. 

He lowered his head again, refusing to look at Alastor. 

"Please leave." Angel said in a soft, strained voice that broke Alastor's heart. That's when he knew he had a heart and it had cracked. He had fucked up. 

Angel sobbed more and more with each passing second. Alastor wanted to comfort him and apologize again and again. 

But he knew he had to leave. 

He always had a knack for ruining things. 

As he closed the door behind him, he felt his heart sink more and more.


	6. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel gets ready for a day at the studio.

Angel was stupid to trust Alastor. He knew it well even before this whole debacle, but now he felt like an absolute fool. He should've known better.

Here he was now, crying on the bathroom floor, he had been crying for basically the whole night, it was already morning hours, not that you could tell though. Damn Hell's perpetually red sky, but his morning alarm had gone off for the fourth time and with that Angel had thrown his phone, it lied across him now, screen cracked and all, but the resilient gadget was still working. The alarm had gone off for the fifth time, this time Angel managed to get his tired body to stand up and pick up the cracked phone. He was supposed to get ready for a big shoot today, turning his attention to the bathroom mirror he could only deduce that he looked absolutely wack. 

His eyes looked both tired and swollen from a night filled with mostly crying or staring at the wall, counting tiles inbetween nervous breakdowns. His fur was messy and his face looked devoid of any discernable beauty. But most of all, he just looked empty. That's how he felt too. Empty.

He took a quick shower hoping it would wash the sorrow away.  
It didn't. Regardless, it helped him look a little less miserable than he felt. He combed his hair and fur and applied some incredibly necessary makeup to cover the reminder of a night of misery.

Putting on a nice outfit usually made him feel a bit better about everything. That wasn't the case today it seemed, regardless of that he couldn't help but acknowledge that he did look really damn good in the ensemble he had prepared for today. Not that he ever expected less, even on bad days.

The outfit he put on consisted of a latex body suit that resembled a swimsuit, a fur coat and his usual black thigh high boots. He wondered if Val would make him wear something else, he decided the answer was probably yes. Still, he could appreciate how he looked in most things. With a final check out in the full body mirror he was ready to go, looking absolutely awesome and feeling incredibly helpless. He grabbed a small black backpack and gave Nuggets a kiss on the head. It was going to be a long day. Closing the door of his room and twisting the key in the lock, he made a silent prayer to- well he wasn't sure who. Lucifer? God? The universe? It didn't matter, since his prayers were never really answered, despite that he hoped for the best, wishing he wouldn't run into Alastor. He really didn't feel like seeing him today. Or anytime soon for that matter.

He made his way down the stairs, saying hi to Nifty, who was busy cleaning already, despite it only being around 11 in the morning. He also leaned over the bar counter for a moment, blowing a little kiss at Husk, who made a displeased face as he poured himself another shot of vodka.

 _No sign of Alastor_. He looked around. _That's a relief._

Closing the door of the hotel, he decided, at least for today, he wouldn't lament anymore. More so because he was tired from crying all night than anything else. He hoped whatever weird porno Valentino had planned for him would take his mind off of the radio host.

He stood in front of the Hotel for a free moments before Valentino's, rather kitsch, limo came to pick him up.

He didn't say a word as he sat alone in the back, the driver giving up on initiating a conversation with him after seeing the pornstar was more focused on staring at the wall across him, and through the window next to the wall. 

He felt empty. He hadn't felt this empty for a while now. He was used to being toyed with physically, used and hurt and all that other stuff. Still, it hit different when his mind and heart were being used.

It was different when it was somebody he trusted. 

It was different when it was Alastor. 


	7. Violence and vice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel got a bit banged up + a bit of fic typical miscommunication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am addicted to the trope of Angel getting hurt in some way and Alastor being like "So you have chosen death" to the person that inflicted pain on Angel.

Angel felt the limo stop, a bit abruptly as he nearly got yanked out of his seat, he absentmindedly greeted the driver, abandoning the usual flirtatious tone. Entering the studio he hoped he would forget about the whole situation for at least a little while, but it was a bet he knew he would lose, as thoughts of Alastor plagued him throughout the day. 

He usually had a few things that were definitely off limits, he was Valentino's puppet but he was also his biggest moneymaker, so from time to time Valentino would respect his wishes, when it suited his own interests of course. Today however, he had informed Valentino that nothing was off limits, which the moth was pleased to hear. It was the spider's way of punishing himself for what he observed as his own stupidity. Therefore it wasn't a surprise when he came back to the Hotel banged up, covered in bruises, scratches and looking altogether like an absolute mess. 

"Angel! Are you alright? What happened?" The princess gasped as soon as the spider had entered the Hotel. 

"I'm fine! Calm down, will ya?" He wasn't in the mood for Charlie playing mom. 

"But you're hurt!" 

"Nah. I'm fine! Seriously! And I'll be even betta if ya leave me alone!" 

Husk gave him a look that he couldn't really decipher. Vaggie was just standing next to. Charlie, unwilling to say anything. 

Angel made his way up the stairs, to his room, where he could just rest from everything. However, the universe didn't have such plans for him, he realized that when he saw a certain radio host on the other side of the hallway. 

_Shit. Fuck. Not him_. The last thing Angel needed was to see _him_. 

He had tried walking past Alastor, since he was very much in the way to his room. He hoped the radio demon would play along and ignore him too. However that wasn't the case. 

"Angel..." Alastor started, his eyes wondered, observing the wounds spread across the others body. "You've been hurt." The deer spoke, having observed the obvious. 

"Yeah, so what? Not like ya care." The spider replied, voice hoarse and tired. He wasn't in the mood for this, he definitely wasn't. 

"I do care." 

"Don't say that. I'm sick of your lil' games."

"I'm genuine, Angel-" 

"If ya did care, ya wouldn't have ignored me for a month, you wouldn't have glared at me every time ya had the opportunity! If you hate me - that's okay! That's fine! Just don't make me believe otherwise!" Angel's voice getting more and more strained as he raised it. 

He walked past the radio host and into his room, closing the door behind him loudly. 

Alastor stood there in the hallway, he was rarely ever at a loss for words, and the reason he couldn't manage to find the words this time, to propose a counter argument, was because he knew, Angel was right. He was right to think so. It was only logical. Alastor knew a long time ago, he was never the one to have genuine, human relationships, in life - and death didn't seem much more promising either. 

Maybe it really was for the best this way. He would just end up hurting Angel more if he continued whatever this was. 

He decided that the feelings he felt for Angel really were genuine and selfless, he just couldn't express them as such, which is why he considered really leaving the other alone. At least for a short while. He wasn't about to give up on the whole situation, he seeked resolve. Still, leaving the spider to cool off for a bit was for the best. He wondered then, about Angel's wounds. The spider seemed to be hurt in so many ways. It made Alastor angry, but he wasn't about to cross the line and go hunt down whoever hurt the little spider. Not for now at least. He didn't want to mess with Angel's head, he decided to leave the situation as it was for now.

He decided to make a plan to earn spider's affection back. For now, he only hoped the other would sleep soundly, he deserved at least that. 

He sent a shadow to keep an eye on Angel. With that, he made his way down hall, static audible as he went. 


	8. A walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perfect time for a walk, isn't it?

About two weeks had gone by, Alastor kept the promise he made to himself, to leave the spider alone for a while. Not for the sake of distancing himself, like he did the first time, this time it was purely for the purpose of giving Angel space.

  
On the other side of the ordeal, Angel was feeling a bit better, he had mostly resumed with his usual routine. He told Cherri about what happened and as always, she offered him advice and a shoulder to cry on.

However, as he healed from the situation with Alastor, he couldn't help but wonder about what the other had said. As much as he tried to ignore the radio demon's words, he always came back to that one thing he said.

 _I do care._ The radio demon had said. Angel remembered his tone of voice in that moment, as well as the unusual facial expression that he wore on his face. His usual grin had been replaced with a sad looking smile, it was a strange replacement to the usual grin he always had on. It felt genuine, it felt honest. It wasn't the showman grin that Alastor was known for.... It was something else. And Angel couldn't help but wonder, if Alastor has really meant what he said.

He let out a sigh and tried to go on with his day. Fixing his hair and putting his usual clothes on, he prepared to go take Nuggets on a short walk, the little fella was feeling antsy and that meant it was walk time.

"These new devices are absolute nonsense! A two year guarantee! Why back in the day, if you bought a gadget it would serve you for _at least_ a decade!" Alastor spoke, going on one of his usual tangents about the failings of modern technology. Husk was trying to manifest going deaf in order to save himself from Alastor's rambling. Instead of washing the glass Alastor had just drank from the cat demon just threw it towards the trashcan, unceremoniously missing it. Which caused Niffty to go absolutely ballistic on him.

"My work here is done." He finished.

"Husker, you didn't do anything!" Alastor was quick to add which earned him a middle finger from the cat.

The princess was talking about how glad she was everyone was getting along better, choosing to ignore the death glare her girlfriend was giving Alastor.

The staircase creaked lightly under Angel's footsteps as he made his way down it, Nuggets resting comfortably in his lower arms. Someone really needed to do something about the creaking noises that the staircase was making, as well as all the furniture in the Hotel. Oh and the doors too, they were incredibly noisy. By someone he meant Charlie of course, and he was sure to file a complaint to her regarding that and was reciprocated with a nervous smile from the Princess and a "If you don't like it you can leave." from Vaggie.

Alastor couldn't help but notice Angel, and Angel couldn't help but notice Alastor noticing him. The spider thought about the words once again. The radio host's gaze followed him as he made his way out of the hotel.

As Angel left the hotel, Alastor had the same idea.

"Al! Where are you going?" Charlie asked, seeing the radio demon get up from his seat at the bar and make his way towards the hotel door.

"I'm going on a walk, my dear!" Alastor replied, cane in hand and a strangefully cheerful melody playing as he disappeared. 


	9. I'd like for us to dance again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a coincidence!

The weather in Hell was as good as weather in literal Hell could get. Angel vaguely recalled the unlikable anchor lady saying something about a storm, which were fairly common down in Hell. However, the red sky seemed as red as always. 

He had decided on a short walk anyway, just to tire out Nuggets enough for his afternoon nap. The little piglet ran circles and Angel lit a cigarette and took a drag which was followed with a sigh. He was thinking about Alastor, the man had plagued his thoughts since their last conversation. If you could really call Angel yelling at Alastor a conversation. Regardless, since the event, all he could think about was the radio host. He just wouldn't leave his head. It was like he was seeing Alastor everywhere, there he was walking behind him - _Wait! What_!? There he was, Alastor was really there.

 _No. No! I don' need this today_. Angel thought as he walked faster. Not that that would work in the first place, with Alastor's portals and his voodoo stuff he could teleport and more. 

And just that did he do. 

"Angel." The man in question flinched as the radio host appeared in front of him. He was scared for a moment of what Alastor might do, after all, after what Angel said, the radio demon must have been angry. Now that his hurt was already settled in, a fear was worming it's way into his heart. He flinched again when Alastor moved his hand to touch his shoulder. Alastor noticed the motion and his smile wasn't so wide. "I... apologize." The show host spoke. 

_Ah. So he really is sorry_? Angel was a bit relieved. He didn't feel angry anymore, or scared. 

Before he could say anything, Alastor spoke again. 

"I'd like for us to dance again." With that Alastor disappeared, leaving Angel standing outside alone, a storm approaching, a change in his heart and across the sky. 

  
Angel wondered about the little encounter as he made his way back to the hotel, Nuggets running in front of him. He felt like he was being played again, but a part of him wanted to believe that Alastor could be kind, kind to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters keep getting shorter and shorter. F in the chat.

**Author's Note:**

> Started writing this at 3 AM because I couldn't sleep. English is not my first language so feel free to correct mistakes!


End file.
